Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Bacon & Ranch Potato Salad!

I have a confession to make. Most of my life I have been a potato salad hater. At every BBQ or summer outing I would pass right by the creamy potato deliciousness- not even giving it the time of day. Then about 4 years ago I moved to Little Rock after marrying Nick, and there's the most incredible BBQ restaurant there called the Whole Hog Cafe. The BBQ there is fantastic but what EVERYONE talks about is the potato salad. Does that seem a bit bizarre that the most popular dish in a BBQ restaurant is a side dish? Well it does unless you've tried it. It's the perfect combination of red potatoes, ranch, bacon, creamy sour cream, and seasonings. It's addicting. Needless to say, one bite of the Whole Hog potato salad and I was hooked. I ventured out to other potato salads from there, but the Whole Hog salad will always be my first true love. So when I returned to Florida at the beginning of this summer I didn't miss much about the Natural State, but I missed that dang potato salad. Of course I had to try to replicate it. Now, I'm not promising you that this is THE Whole Hog potato salad but it came pretty close. Close enough to fully fulfill my Whole Hog craving. Now I just need a pulled chicken sandwich and some of that sweet BBQ sauce...




Ingredients: 
3.5 Lbs of Red Skinned Potatoes
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Black Pepper
2 tsp. Dill 
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
1 T. Sugar
1 Packet Dry Ranch Dressing Mix
1 LB. Bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 1/2 C. Sour Cream
1 1/2 C. Mayonnaise
1 tsp. Balsamic Vinegar
(Note: This may seem like a lot of dressing to you, that's the key in the Whole Hog Potato Salad- lot's of creamy dressing. However, if you're a fan of a salad with less dressing I would start with a cup each of sour cream and mayo and add more to taste)


Step 1: Bake potatoes in a 350 degree oven for about 45 min to an hour, depending on how large your potatoes are, or until cooked through.
Step 2: Cool potatoes slightly and cut into 1/4 inch disks. (You could cube them too).
Step 3: In a separate bowl combine garlic powder, pepper, dill, salt, sugar, ranch mix, bacon, sour cream, mayo, and vinegar. Add to potatoes and stir until combined well. 

Step 4: Cover and chill for a couple of hours- the longer they get to marry with the spices the more flavorful the salad!
 I topped mine with some fresh chopped parsley for a little greenery, I think it'd be great topped with some chives or fresh dill as well. Enjoy!

2 comments:

  1. I've been looking for a potato salad recipe like this! Can't wait to try it. Thank you!

    Dana

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    Replies
    1. Glad to hear it Dana! You will have to let me know how it comes out for you :-D

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